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Onimusha: Warlords is getting an HD re-release this January; is Capcom actually listening?

As we reported in May, Capcom’s plan for the fiscal year ending in March 2019 included “utilizing dormant IP and remakes”. We speculated at the time that Capcom would do well to dust off the Onimusha series for a revival.

On Tuesday, Capcom indicated that they agree with us, because Onimusha: Warlords is coming to PC and all major consoles (yes, Switch too) on 15 January 2019. Do you think someone at Capcom reads The Splintering?

You can watch Capcom’s reveal trailer below.

For those unfamiliar with the Onimusha series, the first game was originally conceived as a Resident Evil game set in feudal Japan. Onimusha evolved into a unique series with an action-oriented focus. Players slayed demonic forces through skillful swordplay and using supernatural upgrades to boost your abilities.

Judging from the reveal trailer, it’s pretty clear that this new version of Onimusha: Warlords looks to be a port of the original PS2 game with an HD polish, not a full remake built from the ground up. Capcom has indicated that the revamped Onimusha:Warlords will include an updated soundtrack, a dual-analogue control option, widesceen displays support, and a Polygon reviewer mode an easy mode available from the beginning of the game.

Hopes for an authentic remake of Onimusha: Warlords have always hinged on the legal rights for Capcom to use the likeness of Takeshi Kaneshiro, the Japanese actor who was the model and voice for the game’s protagonist. It looks like that particular snag has been addressed.